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Sean Connery returns for his final outing as James Bond in Never Say Never Again, a remake of Thunderball and the only Bond film not produced by Cubbi Broccoli’s EON Productions. Since it’s an “unofficial” entry in the franchise, you won’t hear Monty Norman’s famous theme music anywhere, nor will you see another snazzy title sequence from Maurice Binder. And who are these strange new actors playing M, Q, and Moneypenny?

In fact, Never See Never Again doesn’t feel like a James Bond film at all. Connery seems tired in the part and the film drags unmercifully between scattered and forgettable action sequences. Max von Sydow should have made an excellent Blofeld, but he’s given precious little screentime. Michel Legrand’s score was probably meant to help bring the film back to its ’60s roots, but ends up being too retro for its own good. 1983 audiences seemed to agree with me. EON’s official entry, Octopussy, was released the same year and outperformed Never Say Never Again at the box office.

With Kim Basinger and Rowan Atkinson. Directed by Irvin Kershner (The Empire Strikes Back).